Sunday, June 5, 2011

Police to probe why women were 'branded'

GEORGE TOWN: Penang police have initiated an internal investigation to find out why women arrested in an anti-vice raid in Pulau Tikus on Wednesday night had the letter "X" marked on their foreheads.

State police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said the practice was not part of the their normal standard operating procedure. He said the police did not adopt such practices as they did not want to embarrass suspects who were innocent until proven otherwise.

"The inspector-general of police has ordered an internal investigation into this matter and those found guilty will face disciplinary action.

"We understand the severity of this matter and why the people are unhappy about it."

The police have come under fire since Thursday after news and pictures of the branded women appeared in newspapers, which outraged several civil groups and women non-governmental organisations.

The NGOs have criticised the police for violating the women's human rights.

The 30 women, consisting of 29 Chinese nationals and one Vietnamese, were reportedly chained in groups, and each of them had an "X" marked on their foreheads after they were arrested in the raid at the entertainment outlet.

Some dailies also published a photograph of one of them with an "X" on her forehead.

Earlier, Ayub had defended the move, saying it was done to differentiate the women from the public.

He said some of the women had tried to escape, running into shops to buy clothes to change their appearance to blend in with other women.